Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an audio signal processing device in which audio signals input from a plurality of input ports are processed in a plurality of input channels. More particularly, the invention relates to such an audio signal processing device suitable for conducting virtual soundcheck, i.e., “VIRTUAL SOUNDCHECK” (registered trademark), utilizing recording in real performance.
Description of Related Art
There have been known public addressing (PA) that is broadcast equipment for transmitting audio information to many people in facilities, schools, etc., and sound reinforcement (SR) that is broadcast equipment for transmitting performance sounds and vocal sounds with uniform sound quality to every corner of even large-scale halls such as concert halls. At sites of PA/SR, performance sounds of musical instruments and vocal sounds are picked up by microphones, and a mixer is used to mix the picked-up sounds and to send the mixed sounds to power amplifiers, various recording devices, effecters, and performing players. Conventional mixers include: an I/O unit having (a) input ports to which are input audio signals picked up by microphones and audio signals sent from synthesizers or the like and (b) output ports for outputting digital and analog audio signals; an audio signal processing unit for executing mixing processing and effect processing on digital audio signals; and a console on which are provided various panel controls for controlling, according to user's operations, the audio signal processing unit and the I/O unit. In the thus constructed mixers, the audio signals input from the input ports are characteristic-adjusted in input channels patched to the respective input ports, and are subjected to processing such as mixing. The processed audio signals are output to an amplifier connected to the output ports, and a plurality of speakers installed in a hall, a venue or the like are driven by the audio signals that are power-amplified by the amplifier.
At the conventional PA/SR sites, audio signals input to the input channels of the mixer at the time of real performance in a certain hall are output to and recorded in a recorder without conducting characteristic adjustment. When audio adjustment is conducted in the same hall or another hall, the audio signals recorded in the recorder are input to the input channels as an input simulating real performance so as to permit the mixer to execute signal processing as in real performance, and setting of various units of the mixer is adjusted while monitoring sounds output from speakers in the hall. By thus adjusting setting, the audio adjustment in the hall can be conducted even if performers are not present on the spot. The applicant of the present application refers to the adjustment work itself and relating mixer functions as “virtual soundcheck”.
In digital mixers described in the following Non Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 1, input ports for real performance can be switched, in advance, to input ports for virtual soundcheck, on a switching setting screen for input ports. In audio adjustment in a hall, when a “virtual soundcheck” button is turned on by a user, the input ports for real performance are switched to the input ports for virtual soundcheck in an input patch according to the switching setting. To the input channels, playback sounds from the recorder recorded in real performance are supplied from the switched input ports, according to the input patch, and characteristic adjustment of the audio signals can be conducted in the input channels. In real performance after the characteristic adjustment, the “virtual soundcheck” button is turned off, so that the switching setting in the input patch returns to original. As a result, audio signals from a stage are supplied from the input ports for real performance to the input channels and are subjected to signal processing in the input channels in which characteristic adjustment has been finished.
The recorder is a multitrack recorder (MTR) that enables simultaneous recording and reproduction in a plurality of tracks. In recent years, a computer configured to operate as a digital audio workstation (DAW) system by execution of “DAW software” is often used as MTR. In the DAW system, it is possible to conduct, in addition to multitrack recording, various processing of the audio signals such as waveform editing, addition of sound effects, and mixdown.    Non Patent Literature 1: “PM5D/PM5D-RH V2 DSP5D Owner's Manual”, YAMAHA CORPORATION, p. 221    Patent Literature 1: U.S. Pat. No. 8,214,065